Fresh asparagus has been popping up at tons of places we have been shopping this last week. I grabbed the best looking bundle from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store the other day, as a hankering for risotto had set in. Little did I know that the day I was going to make It world be close to 90 degrees. The process of stirring was a bit like being in a sauna, but by the time the sun set, the back screened porch had started to cool down and we enjoyed our meal out there while the crickets serenaded us. Was not finding fresh peas yet, so went with my old stand-by of a really high quality frozen bag. Opt for the larger, non-petit size. They really work pretty wonderfully in risotto. If you can find fresh, by all means use them. For the asparagus, chose the thicker the better. They hold up nicely when mixed into the hot rice. I cut them up first and roasted on a sheet pan at 400 degrees mixed with extra virgin olive oil and salt. Pull out while still a bit firm, as they will continue to cook later in the risotto. I took out all the tops and reserved in a separate bowl, as they look nice on top of the individual risotto servings at the very end.

Heat up the 8 cups of stock to not quite a boil, then turn down the heat a bit, but the stock should remain hot thru the entire risotto cooking process. Next, and here is where I like to use a good sized Le Creuset pot for cooking the risotto in, add a liberal dose of butter and cook a diced onion and shallot till they are not quite brown. Then add a good amount of olive oil to that, along with 2 cups of Arborio rice. Coat the rice with the butter and oil mixture, and sauté for a minute or two to cook through, but don’t brown the rice. All of the above is done over medium heat, but stove tops vary greatly, so adjust accordingly.

Now the liquids begin. Add one cup of white wine to the mixture. I like to use a white that we will be serving with the meal. Stir rice till the wine is absorbed. The depth of flavor the wine adds to the finished product is really noticeable.

Now the waiting hot stock takes center stage. Add one cup of stock to the mixture, stirring till the stock is fully absorbed. What holds many folks back about making risotto is there is a good amount of stirring involved. A constant stir is not necessary, but pretty close. This is where the white wine you opened comes in quite nicely. Sipping a little white wine during the risotto making process is a personal favorite–it is my break from stirring. Continue adding the hot stock one cup at a time, and the rice will become creamier as you go, as it releases the natural starches. Add the 7th cup of stock. At this point, you will be about 20 to 25 minutes into the rice cooking process. You are almost there.

Now add the bag of peas. It does not need to be completely unfrozen as the peas will defrost the moment they hit the hot rice. Stir. Now add the waiting asparagus pieces on the waiting sheet pan. Add a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir. Turn off the heat. Add another cup of stock. Stir. Add a dusting of salt & fresh ground black pepper. Stir. Put on the lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, have another sip of your white wine, as we are almost done. Once that 5 minutes has passed, give it one last stir, adding a bit more stock so it is nice and creamy. In a bowl add the risotto mixture, then add the asparagus tops to each bowl and finally a few sprinkles of the grated Parmesan. A bit of work, but that will all fade away when you have your first bite.

Wine & Dine Wednesday is a dish I made last week-end. Last year we had the best corn of the season in May, that we bought at the local grocery store in Chatham. Crazy, I know, but it really was the best we had last Summer. So when I saw a huge stack of it again this year at the same time & place, I jumped at the chance to buy a bunch of ears. And by golly, pretty darn amazing again. We are off with a bang! So good in fact that I bought another round the next week (just the other day) and made risotto with it, along with roasted shrimp. I used 4 cobs, boiling it first, then TPS took all the corn off the cob for me while I stirred away at the pot of Arborio rice. I find making risotto one of the most relaxing things. Something about the chopping, stirring and more stirring. I really wanted this to be corn laden, so the 4 cobs of corn to the 2 cups of rice was a good ratio. It was super corny, just what I was going for. I had first titled this ‘Shrimp & Corn Risotto’ but swapped it around as corn really gets the top billing in this. Ted had made stock the day before so fresh chicken/vegetable stock made it even tastier. If you have homemade stock, lovely. Boxed stock is grand too, as it is what I use most times if we don’t have stock in the freezer.

I like to cook the shrimp first in a hot 400 degree oven (I know, very surprising) so they are cooked and set aside waiting and you don’t have to take your eye off of stirring the risotto. Plus, once you toss them into the rice, they heat up a bit. Just scatter the shrimp onto a baking sheet, slather with extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper, and a bit of finely diced garlic. Mix around. Add to oven, turning then after 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the lot, because depending on their size, you might only need to cook them for 7 to 10 minutes total. Test one. Better to have slightly underdone as they will continue to cook after you take them out and put on a plate to rest. But it is satisfying to know they are complete so you don’t have to worry about the shrimp at the last minute when the risotto starts coming together.

Heat up the 8 cups of stock to not quite a boil, then turn down the heat a bit, but the stock should remain hot thru the entire risotto cooking process.

Next, and here is where I like to use a good sized Le Creuset pot for cooking the risotto in, add a liberal dose of butter and cook a diced onion and shallot till they are not quite brown. Then add a good amount of olive oil to that, along with 2 cups of Arborio rice. Coat the rice with the butter and oil mixture, and sauté for a minute or two to cook thru, but don’t brown the rice. All of the above is done over medium heat, but stove tops vary greatly, so adjust accordingly.

Now the liquids begin. Add one cup of white wine to the mixture. I like to use a white that we will be serving with the meal. Stir rice till the wine is absorbed. The depth of flavor the wine adds to the finished product is really noticeable. Now the waiting hot stock takes center stage. Add one cup of stock to the mixture, stirring till the stock is fully absorbed. What holds many folks back about making risotto is there is a good amount of stirring involved. A constant stir is not necessary, but pretty close. This is where the white wine you opened comes in quite nicely. Sipping a little white wine during the risotto making process is a personal favorite–it is my break from stirring. Continue adding the hot stock one cup at a time, and the rice will become creamier as you go, as it releases the natural starches. Add the 7th cup of stock. At this point, you will be about 20 to 25 minutes into the rice cooking process. You are almost there. Now add the corn that you took off of the cob. Stir. Add a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir. Turn off the heat. Add most of the cooked shrimp, holding back a few to adorn the top of the bowls you are about to serve. Add your last cup of stock. Stir. Add a dusting of salt & fresh ground black pepper. Stir. Put on the lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, have another sip of your white wine, as we are almost done.

Once that 5 minutes has passed, give it one last stir, adding a bit more stock so it is nice and creamy. In a bowl add the risotto mixture, then add a few pieces of the shrimp to the top of each bowl and finally a few sprinkles of the grated Parmesan. A bit of work, but that will all fade away when you have your first bite.

Our time out at WestWard last week was all about comfort. And very few foods speak to me of comfort as a big bowl of risotto. I have used shrimp a bunch in the past but thought they lacked a bit of flavor adding them into cook along with the rice, so this time I roasted them in the oven while I cooked the risotto so they had tons more flavor. Here is what I did, which was super simple.

Take shrimp and pile them onto a sheet pan. Chop up a few cloves of garlic quite fine. Add that to the pile of shrimp. Then a big glug of extra virgin olive oil. Plus a few big pinches of salt & pepper. With your hands, mix it all together, gently working it all amongst the shrimp. Then spread them out on the baking sheet. Add to a 400 degree oven for 7 to 9 minutes. Be careful to not overcook, as they will cook a bit more in the risotto in the last 5 minutes of that cooking process. Take off the baking sheet when done and put onto a plate to cool. If they stay on the hot sheet, they will continue to cook more. Set plate of shrimp aside. You can either cook the shrimp before you start the risotto or while, your call. Either is fine.

OK, here we go. Risotto. Cooking it scares some people, other people say how easy it is. I fall in the middle. I have made risotto for many years, and it was a bit of trial & error at first. This is what I have learned works. My biggest error at first is I did not have the chicken stock that you add ladle by ladle as the risotto cooks, hot enough. You will need 8 cups of chicken stock, homemade is preferred, but stock in a box is also completely fine. Heat up the stock to not quite a boil, then turn down the heat a bit, but the stock should remain hot thru the entire risotto cooking process.

Next, and here is where I like to use a good sized Le Creuset pot for cooking the risotto in, add a liberal dose of butter and cook a diced onion and shallot till they are not quite brown. Then add a good amount of olive oil to that, along with 2 cups of arborio rice. It is essential that you use arborio rice for this. Coat the rice with the butter and oil mixture, and sauté for a minute or two to cook thru, but don’t brown the rice. All of the above is done over medium heat, but stove tops vary greatly, so adjust accordingly.

Now the liquids begin. Add one cup of white wine to the mixture. I like to use a white that we will be serving with the meal. Stir rice till the wine is absorbed. The depth of flavor the wine adds to the finished product is really noticeable. Now the waiting hot stock takes center stage. Add one cup of stock to the mixture, stirring till the stock is fully absorbed. What holds many folks back about making risotto is there is a good amount of stirring involved. A constant stir is not necessary, but pretty close. This is where the white wine you opened comes in quite nicely. Sipping a little white wine during the risotto making process is a personal favorite–it is my break from stirring. Continue adding the hot stock one cup at a time, and the rice will become creamier as you go, as it releases the natural starches. Add the 7th cup of stock. At this point, you will be about 20 to 25 minutes into the rice cooking process. You are almost there. Now add the package of frozen peas and the chives you have chopped up. Stir. Add a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir. Turn off the heat. Add most of the cooked shrimp, holding back a few to adorn the top of the bowls you are about to serve. Add your last cup of stock. Stir. Add a dusting of salt & fresh ground black pepper. Stir. Put on the lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, have another sip of your white wine, as we are almost done.

Once that 5 minutes has passed, give it one last stir. In a bowl add the risotto mixture, then add a few pieces of the garlicky shrimp to the top of each bowl and finally a few sprinkles of the grated Parmesan. A bit of work, but that will all fade away when you have your first bite.

The latest issue of SAVEUR arrived in the mail at home yesterday. What an amazing cover! The grapefruit slices looking like a bouquet of flowers. A really incredibly beautiful bouquet of flowers. Not sure I have seen a cover on a food magazine in recent memory where I was so taken with the image. Yes, I am completely judging this magazine by the cover, as a twist on the saying goes. And this time I was completely right to do so. The magazine is always one of my very favorite, but this article with many, many grapefruit recipes is just so darn good. Risotto with grapefruit and seared scallops. Where do I sign up? Amazing. Grapefruit and sugar rubbed pork tenderloin. Oh my. I crave citrus at this chilly time of year. These recipes will keep us busy eating gorgeous grapefruit filled dishes for quite awhile.

Leeks intimidated me. There, I said it. I feel so much better that I got that off my chest. I am not quite sure why they did. Actually, I think it stems from every time I would see them used on a cooking show, they would preface the use of them with how sandy and full of dirt they can be. Sand and dirt are not 2 of my favorite things to eat, so I shied away from using them in dishes I was making. Silly, silly me. I don’t know where those folks were sourcing their leeks from, because on my now second try at using them, very little dirt or sand was present. Oh, what I have missed out on. Leeks rock!

I was craving a big bowl of risotto last evening, and wanted to make a nice, comforting, filling meal as we head into a busy week. Risotto always fits the bill. I have posted 2 other risotto recipes, so use those as the base. Instead of using onions at the beginning, substitute leeks. Slice the stem in half, pull the layers apart, rinse in the sink liberally to get any particles, shake, dry with a towel, and you are good to go. The leeks elevated the dish last night. I cut them fairly think, so they were really part of the mix–playing equally with the peas and asparagus. Since asparagus is in season and so plentiful, it just seemed like a perfect fit for a sunny Spring night. Cut stems in half, scatter on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Roast at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes till the asparagus is cooked, but still a tad crunchy. That bite will be nice in this dish. Set aside. As for the peas, I most always use frozen, unless they are at the height of season. The bagged, frozen peas are perfect for this dish. Just add them before you add your last ladle of hot stock to the risotto, and they will defrost right in the dish. Add the asparagus into the pot. Mix and cover for a few minutes. Once ready, spoon into a bowl and add a sprinkling of Parmesan. Enjoy the leeks!

Cooking a big pot of risotto is so comforting on these cold and rainy nights. The addition of these earthy mushrooms and spicy saffron really bumps up the comfort quotient. I always make more than we are going to eat for dinner, as this makes a great leftover lunch.

Chop morels and portobellos into bite sized pieces and sauté in a few tablespoons of butter in a good sized Le Creuset style pot. This is what you are going to be making the risotto in as well. Once browned, remove the mushrooms and set aside. Now add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the pot and sauté a finely chopped sweet onion and a shallot, until very lightly browned. Now add another few tablespoons of olive oil and add your 2 cups of arborio rice to the pot of onion and shallot. Stir mixture until hot and evenly coated. Now add a cup of white wine. I like to use whatever wine we will be having with the meal. Simmer until the wine is absorbed.

Add 8 cups of hot chicken stock or broth, a cup at a time, stirring constantly and adding more stock when the previous amount has become absorbed. Keep rice at a brisk simmer. Midway through the stock process, add a few pinches of saffron. The kitchen will soon become filled with the warm scent of the spicy saffron.

Before you add your last cup of stock, add back the waiting bowl of sautéed mushrooms, as well as a cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Add the last cup of stock, stir, taken off of heat, and let sit for a few minutes. It is now ready to be enjoyed!

This all should take between 20 to 30 minutes for the rice to absorb the 8 cups of liquid. The risotto should be al dente and creamy. It is a bit of work, but the reward is such a hearty, comforting and satisfying meal.

Cooking and eating risotto makes me happy. Cooking butternut squash with sweet sausage risotto make me very happy. The process takes a bit of time, but the reward is incredibly worth it. There are many, many variations on how to make risotto. From the liquids you choose to add, to the usage of butter or olive oil. This is mine. I hope you enjoy.

I prefer sweet sausage for this, but if you like things a bit spicier, then by all means use spicy sausage. Cook up a package of ground sausage meat. Set aside. Peel a butternut squash. Cut into cubes. Scatter on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a healthy amount of olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or as long as your oven takes to get them soft, a bit caramelized, but not completely falling apart. Set aside. My secret to this dish is I also add a package of pureed squash that you find in the freezer section at the grocery store close to the end of the cooking process. It just bumps up the squash quotient to the dish, and it also turns the risotto the orange-ish color I love. Take out of freezer, set aside.

I like having both the sausage and the butternut squash done, so full concentration can go into the cooking of the risotto. It is fine if both completely cool while they are sitting, because they will warm right back up once they have been put into the warm risotto at the end.

OK, here we go. Risotto. Cooking it scares some people, other people say how easy it is. I fall in the middle. I have made risotto for many years, and it was a bit of trial & error at first. This is what I have learned works. My biggest error at first is I did not have the chicken stock that you add ladle by ladle as the risotto cooks, hot enough. You will need 8 cups of chicken stock, homemade is preferred, but stock in a box is also completely fine. Heat up the stock to not quite a boil, then turn down the heat a bit, but the stock should remain hot thru the entire risotto cooking process.

Next, and here is where I like to use a good sized Le Creuset pot for cooking the risotto in, add a liberal dose of butter and cook a diced onion and shallot till they are not quite brown. Then add a good amount of olive oil to that, along with 2 cups of arborio rice. It is essential that you use arborio rice for this. Coat the rice with the butter and oil mixture, and sauté for a minute or two to cook thru, but don’t brown the rice. All of the above is done over medium heat, but stove tops vary greatly, so adjust accordingly.

Now the liquids begin. Add one cup of white wine to the mixture. I like to use a white that we will be serving with the meal. Stir rice till the wine is absorbed. The depth of flavor the wine adds to the finished product is really noticeable. Now the waiting hot stock takes center stage. Add one cup of stock to the mixture, stirring till the stock is fully absorbed. What holds many folks back about making risotto is there is a good amount of stirring involved. A constant stir is not necessary, but pretty close. This is where the white wine you opened comes in quite nicely. Sipping a little white wine during the risotto making process is a personal favorite–it is my break from stirring. Continue adding the hot stock one cup at a time, and the rice will become creamier as you go, as it releases the natural starches. Add the 7th cup of stock. At this point, you will be about 20 to 25 minutes into the rice cooking process. You are almost there. Now add the package of pureed squash. It is fine if it is still a bit frozen in parts, as it will quickly break apart and incorporate once it hits the hot mixture. Stir. Now add the sausage that you prepared earlier. Stir. Add a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Then add almost all of the butternut squash you roasted earlier, reserving the prettier pieces for garnishing the top of the finished risotto. Stir. Turn off the heat. Add your last cup of stock. Stir. Put on the lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, have another sip of your white wine, as we are almost done.

Once that 5 minutes has passed, give it one last stir. In a bowl add the risotto mixture, then add a few pieces of the roasted butternut squash, and finally a few sprinkles of the grated Parmesan. A bit of work, but that will all fade away when you have your first bite.

Each word of the book is so lovingly spoken and your voice exudes such warmth and kindness. You are so genuine with your readers. And so interested in teaching them how to love… Love art…. Love nature… Love small things… Love friends… Love family… And love life.

— Haley from New York

Ted’s ‘Style & Simplicity’ is absolutely Lovely (with a capital L)! It’s also charming, fun to read, and full of wonderful advice.

— Newell Turner, Editor in Chief at House Beautiful

Ted Kennedy Watson has a most refined sense of aesthetics…and he shares some of his best secrets, for which I am so grateful!

— Lisa Birnbach, author of The Official Preppy Handbook

Ted, and his namesake fine good emporiums Watson Kennedy are legendary in this town. What he does brilliantly is quality over trend, substance over vapid style.

— Kaye Wellman, author Eat, Shop, Seattle

If you’ve ever wanted to walk through a stylized photo in a magazine this shop is a phenomenal fix for that as the merchandising is crazy delicious to feast your eyes upon.

— Uncle Beefy at thebedlamofbeefy.com

I feel like a kid in a candy shop every time I walk in the door.

— Apartment Therapy

I ordered ‘Style & Simplicity’ and it was delivered to my home in Hermanus, South Africa. What a delightful book and inspiration!

— Marlien on Facebook

The Seattle tastemaker behind Watson Kennedy: a personally curated store with the absolute best gifts, treasures, home goods, and hand-selected music.

— Town & Country

#genius #book @watsonkennedy #brilliant #perfect #gift

— Howard Slatkin on Instagram

Truly a visual feast for the eyes and palate.Thank you for sharing your abundance of “everything good”.We customers are transported to shopping heaven while in your store(s) and website.

— Blog reader Kris

We’ve long been fans of Seattle retailer Ted Kennedy Watson and his first title certainly lives up to it’s stylish name. The lavish A to Z guide is bursting with tips on how to create a cozy, chic and inviting home.